Monthly Archives: December 2014

Morning Text for Reflection:
It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and it has been given in sufficiently generous measure to allow the accomplishment of the very greatest things if the whole of it is well invested. But when it is squandered in luxury and carelessness, when it is devoted to no good end, forced at last by the ultimate necessity we perceive that it has passed away before we were aware that it was passing. So it is-the life we receive is not short, but we make it so, nor do we have any lack of it, but are wasteful of it. Just as great and princely wealth is scattered in a moment when it comes into the hands of a bad owner, while wealth however limited, if it is entrusted to a good guardian, increases by use, so life is amply long for the one who orders it properly. (Seneca, On the Shortness of Life, 1)

Morning Text for Reflection:
You must train yourself only to think the kind of thoughts about which, if someone suddenly asked you, ‘what are you thinking about now?’, you would at once answer frankly, ‘”this” or “that”’. So from your reply it would immediately be clear that all your thoughts are straightforward and kind and express the character of a social being who has no concern with images of pleasure, or self-indulgence in general , or any kind of rivalry, malice or suspicion, or anything else you would blush to admit you were thinking about. (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 3.4)

Observe the present, pause and consider what good you may do in this moment. (See Stoic Week 2014 Handbook for Exercises regarding Stoic Mindfulness)

Morning Text for Reflection:
Of things some are in our power, and others are not. In our power are opinion, movement toward a thing, desire, aversion; and in a word, whatever are our own acts: not in our power are the body, property, reputation, offices and in a word, whatever are not our own acts. (Epictetus, Handbook 1)

When you wake up each morning, take a few moments to compose yourself and then patiently rehearse the day ahead, planning how you can make yourself a better person, while also accepting that some things lie beyond your control.*
*Stoic Week 2014 Handbook

December 29 – January 4 the Redwood Stoa will be having a reprise of this year’s “Live Like a Stoic Week” with daily themes and practices. This is an excellent way to end the year and begin a new. Please email for details: redwood.stoa@gmail.com

In combination with our person-to-person progress in establishing this stoa, we’ve also created a Meetup Group for the Redwood Stoa at Meetup.com. This has already resulted in several new members or acquaintances, and we wanted to be sure to post a link to Meetup and our group:

The link below is to a PDF of the minutes of our December Meeting, held in Hayward, CA. Please have a look. (And please disregard the ad that may or may not pop up when reading this post. A consequence of a free site on WordPress.)